Perhaps nourished by last night, there was now an added trace of mature charm between her brows.

With the passing of the night, the impulse beneath the moonlight faded, and the Crown Prince began to reassess her. Yet to him, Lin Weiyin was all too easy to read—her expectations and schemes far too simple.

To intercept him on his way to see the Crown Princess, to climb onto the Crown Prince’s bed while still unmarried, to contend with her own younger sister for a husband—what kind of good person could she be?

Lin Weiyin sensed the atmosphere had turned strange. To break the awkwardness, she put on a smile and asked, “This daughter is just about to visit my younger sister. Would Your Highness like to come along?”

The Crown Prince’s head throbbed. He laughed, momentarily at a loss for words. Rising from the bed, he turned to look down at the stunned Lin Weiyin and said with amusement, “Are you so eager for the Crown Princess to know that you, unmarried, have been involved with your brother-in-law in such a disgraceful affair?”

Last night he had made the Crown Princess wait, and then did not go at all. Whether she had slept or not was uncertain. And now, to bring her elder sister along the next morning—what was that meant to be? Not only failing to console the Crown Princess, but bringing someone else to flaunt it?

He might have recovered physically, and while taking shelter from the rain had been momentarily overcome by desire under the influence of medicine and beauty, but he was not a fool to be toyed with.

Lin Weiyin’s face instantly turned pale. Her hands instinctively clutched the edge of the quilt, her eyes reddening. “This daughter has long admired Your Highness and has no intention of competing with my younger sister for favor. As long as I may receive even a fraction of Your Highness’s regard, it is enough. I do not seek to remain constantly by your side…”

As she spoke, tears fell from her eyes like grapes dropping one by one.

The Crown Prince looked at her in silence. Hearing such repetitive words gave him a headache, yet he could not leave her uncomforted. He sighed and said gently, “No matter what, you have already served me. Naturally, I will not leave you unattended.”

Lin Weiyin lifted her watery eyes expectantly.

“However, this matter must be considered carefully. When the time is right in the future, I will formally raise your status openly.” The Crown Prince lifted her chin, rubbing it lightly, his hand sliding down to her waist and patting it. His gaze shimmered as he smiled calmly. “Until then, you should wait in the Lin residence.”

Lin Weiyin’s body went soft under his touch. Blushing, she murmured a quiet “Mm,” raising her arms to wrap around the Crown Prince’s neck, whispering by his ear, “This daughter will wait for Your Highness.”

“I have matters to attend to now. Tonight, I will discuss with the Crown Princess how to bring you into the residence,” the Crown Prince said lightly as he straightened. “I will have someone escort you back.”

With that, he raised his voice to summon attendants to enter and serve.

Because of this, the Crown Prince did not notice that behind the bed curtains, Lin Weiyin, bracing herself on the bed, had her flushed face suddenly turn pale, the unwillingness in her eyes mixed with hatred, as if ready to spill out.

After the Crown Prince left, Lin Weiyin finished dressing with the help of the maids. Soon, a maid at the door reported that the carriage was ready, sent by order of the Crown Prince to escort her out of the residence.

But Lin Weiyin had no intention of leaving immediately.

“What’s the rush?” Lin Weiyin smiled faintly, raising a hand to adjust the gold-and-jade tassel hairpin in her hair, standing up with elegance. “I came to visit my younger sister. I haven’t even seen her yet—how could I just leave like this?”

The maid lowered her head without speaking.

Though the Crown Prince had given an order, he had not said she was forbidden from visiting the Crown Princess. Moreover, they were indeed blood sisters, so there was no reason to stop her.

Even if everyone present understood that the Crown Princess most likely did not wish to see this so-called elder sister.

Lin Weiyin naturally remembered the path she had taken the previous night. Though the lingering intimacy had left her legs sore and weak, it could not stop her eagerness to see Lin Yuanjin.

When she arrived at the Crown Princess’s main courtyard, she saw that everything there was refined and elegant.

In the clear pond beside the ornamental rocks swam golden-red koi; evergreen osmanthus trees stood by the water’s edge. Sunlight filtered through the gaps, scattering upon the water like fragments of gold. Multi-petaled flowers were arranged in orderly fashion upon huanghuali wood stands, their fragrance blending into a refined, delicate scent.

It was worlds apart from the Lin residence.

As soon as Lin Weiyin arrived, a maid exchanged a glance with those behind her, immediately sensing ill intent, and quickly ran inside to announce her presence. Before long, she returned to invite Lin Weiyin in.

Her steps were graceful yet carried momentum, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart. Her smile brimmed with satisfaction, as though filled with triumphant delight, waiting only to vent it fully.

The moment she entered, even with the window open, Lin Weiyin caught the lingering scent of medicine. Her satisfaction deepened as her gaze fell upon Lin Yuanjin, who sat at the table.

Without makeup, her face was pale, as though lacking in spirit. She wore a simple sky-blue dress; her jade-white wrist bones looked even more slender beneath the wide sleeves. The hollowed gold ornament in her hair appeared light, exuding a subtle, understated luxury.

“Have I come at an inconvenient time, disturbing the Crown Princess’s peace?” Lin Weiyin gave a bow, smiling brightly as she asked. Yet her gaze was far from restrained, sweeping over the overly lavish decorations in the room, her lips curling faintly in disdain.

With a scrutinizing look, Lin Weiyin felt the room was exquisite but lacked the refined charm of a scholar. At a glance, it seemed the taste of someone with little literary cultivation—at home it had been simple, but now in the Crown Prince’s residence, it was merely piled with gold and jade without proper arrangement.

Only Lin Yuanjin would arrange things like this—like a nouveau riche, nothing like herself.

If it were her, she would not place things so carelessly.

“What are you here for?” Lin Yuanjin raised a delicate brow, looking over in confusion.

From the moment Lin Weiyin entered, there was an unmistakable sense of aggression in her every move, making Lin Yuanjin feel an indescribable offense, and she could not help but feel resistant.

Nanny Zhang stood behind Lin Yuanjin like a silent guardian deity, her gaze steady as she looked at Lin Weiyin.

She was not unable to hear the mockery behind the word “peace.” She only felt that this young woman lacked all sense of propriety, her scheming shallow, the Lin family’s upbringing clearly inadequate.

“I came yesterday to visit the Crown Princess, but unfortunately, you were busy. And with the ‘wind and rain’ through the night, it delayed the time, so I have only come today.” Lin Weiyin smiled meaningfully, unconcerned by Lin Yuanjin’s directness. Her words were layered with implication, deliberately reminding Lin Yuanjin of last night’s humiliation.

As if afraid Lin Yuanjin might not know how things had unfolded.

Lin Weiyin pinched her handkerchief and asked knowingly, “The Crown Princess has always been magnanimous—you surely would not mind, would you?”

The maid beside them frowned deeply, looking at Lin Weiyin in disbelief, as if unable to understand how someone so shameless could be so arrogant, daring to speak to the Crown Princess in such a provocative manner. She inwardly rolled her eyes in disdain.

Lin Yuanjin paused, not expecting her intentions to be so… plainly visible.

Rather than feeling humiliated, she almost felt a trace of gratitude for Lin Weiyin’s actions.

But that did not mean Lin Yuanjin would willingly allow this person to come before her and flaunt herself, trampling her dignity.

Ever since Lin Yuanjin became the Crown Princess, Lin Weiyin seemed to have lost even the intention of maintaining a façade of peace before her; even her provocations had become blunt and crude.

“As elder sister has rendered service to the Crown Prince, this palace naturally will not turn a blind eye.” Lin Yuanjin lifted her small face into a bright smile, her voice soft and gentle, especially disarming. “It is just that I have heard Father and Mother have already made arrangements for your marriage. Now, it truly is unfortunate timing.”

“Fate is decreed by heaven, but matters are accomplished by man.” Lin Weiyin stared at her intently and smiled. “I am not like some people, so fortunate that by simply staying at home they can receive vast imperial favor. But if I am given an opportunity, I will seize it tightly and never let it go.”

“How insolent!” Nanny Zhang rebuked sharply, only to see Lin Yuanjin raise her hand to stop her the next moment.

“Elder sister has always been ambitious—this palace is far from comparable.” Lin Yuanjin coughed twice, smiling with layered meaning. “For the sake of the Lin family’s reputation, this palace will not interfere. You may rest assured.”

It was simply that this matter was far from simple. Even if she did nothing, there were plenty of others who would act.

Once one entered the imperial family, one’s life was no longer one’s own.

“The Crown Princess is unwell; you must take good care to recover. There is still a long road ahead.” Lin Weiyin thought to herself that even if Lin Yuanjin wished to stop her, she could not. “It is getting late. I must return to the residence and report to Father and Mother, so I will not disturb you further.”

As she spoke, Lin Weiyin gave a perfunctory bow, lifted her chin, cast Nanny Zhang a dismissive glance, and turned to leave. Her posture was clearly graceful, yet carried an air of arrogance.

Nanny Zhang was seething with anger. Having served by the ruler’s side for many years, the last time she had suffered such treatment was decades ago!

Once Lin Weiyin had disappeared from sight, Nanny Zhang immediately looked at Lin Yuanjin. “Crown Princess need not be angered, lest it harm your health. To argue with such a petty person would only lower your dignity—better to let this old servant handle it.”

“A petty person?” Lin Yuanjin lifted her eyes and met Nanny Zhang’s darkened expression, blinking. “She is older than I am.”

Seeing that she still had the mind to joke, Nanny Zhang felt somewhat relieved, but still asked, “Do you have a plan regarding this matter?”

Her thoughts were agile, yet now that she served at the Crown Princess’s side, not everything could be decided by her alone.

“The main issue is not knowing what His Highness intends.” Lin Yuanjin raised her hand, resting her chin lightly on her fingertips, her lowered gaze seeming somewhat forlorn. Against this, her already slender shoulders appeared even more delicate.

The girl seemed lost—naturally in need of guidance.

“You need only remember that you are the Crown Princess, the rightful daughter-in-law of the Son of Heaven. No matter what, your elder sister cannot surpass you.” Nanny Zhang sighed, as if offering comfort, though her words carried deeper meaning. “If anything happens, the Emperor and Empress will stand for you.”

She left it at that.

“Nanny speaks rightly.”

Lin Yuanjin blinked, as if suddenly enlightened, looking at Nanny Zhang with a trusting gaze. Though hesitation lingered on her face, her eyes were clear, and her voice firm.

“I must enter the palace.”

Author’s note:

The next part will have some intense developments (whispers).

It’s normal if it gets outrageous—my personal writing principle is that it can be melodramatic and absurd, but it must not be boring.